# Help my pronunciation?



## Shiny Grimer (Dec 14, 2008)

I really want to learn how to trill/roll the Rs. I've tried a bunch of methods and none of them come out well for me.

My native language was Spanish, but my parents never taught me how to trill or roll the Rs. I was told to say 'erre con erre cigarro', but that stupid tongue twister did crap for me. I replaced it with a buzzing r; it's difficult for me to explain. It's like a rolled r, but more like a buzz. I can sustain it for around 5 seconds. It sounds very little like the rr my parents can do. My sister can't do the rolled r either. I don't have a condition that prevents me from making this sound and I know that it can be learned.

I've tried guides, seeing the inside of the mouth, explanations, and it's all been stupid. NSaying 'dra dra dra dra' does nothing for me. I can say 'ra ra ra ra ra ra ra' over and over again but if I have to do that really artificial and unnaturally slow 'rolled' r instead of what I use, I'll take the quicker and more understandable buzzed drrr any day.

I've tried 'making machine gun sounds', 'purring like a cat', saying 'VISION DREAM' (caps required), 'pot o' tea' and all that. I've said 'tee dee va' to unstress the tongue (how do I know when it's not stressed?). None of it is even close. I had some success yesterday making a throaty rolled r, but only achieved it once before sounding like I was coughing up phlegm.

The worst part is that the rolled r is so common that I get really bothered when I see that it's a sound in other languages. It's enough to make me think I should just stick to English and French where I can actually make the sounds, even if with some difficulty (I'm talking to YOU, French).

Does anyone here know of a good method to make the Rs? If you have a video that can accurately explain it, I would appreciate it. I've been trying to roll my Rs every day for the past 12-13 years and have failed, so clearly I need a new approach. I know how the sound is supposed to be made, but I still can't actually produce it.

I'd appreciate any comments on this subject as it's been pissing me off. :(


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## Lady Grimdour (Dec 14, 2008)

Well mine actually came by accident.

Try curling your tongue so that both sides are touching the inner base of your teeth(the inside bit at the top. Then try and touch the roof of your mouth without removing the sides from where they are(It's easy, don't worry), then try letting your voice out while you put it up and down. This gives your tongue some strength, then try and vibrate your tongue in that position and hopefully you have it.


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## Foxsundance (Dec 15, 2008)

The way I've always done it is I put the tip of my tongue on the roof of my mouth and blow out, but while keeping my tongue loosely on the roof of my mouth. It's kinda hard to understand, I know.


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## Music Dragon (Dec 15, 2008)

Yeah. The trick is to make the tongue vibrate... like a reed or something.


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